The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus.
When a recording magnetic tape is played, rewound or fast forwarded in a conventional recording/reproducing apparatus used for an automatic telephone answering device, selection switches arranged in the recording/reproducing apparatus must be selectively operated. For example, a typical conventional telephone answering recording apparatus has outgoing and incoming message tapes. Upon reception of an incoming call, the outgoing message tape is played to send out an outgoing message to a calling party. When the calling party leaves a message, it is recorded in the incoming message tape. Since the outgoing and incoming message tapes must be alternately used, a complicated operation button system is required to achieve the functions described above. A user cannot easily become accustomed to such a recording apparatus, thus preventing widespread application. The conventional recording apparatus requires at least five buttons, i.e., record (REC), play (PLAY), rewind (REW), fast forward (FF), and stop buttons to drive one tape. Even in another type of conventional recording apparatus using an endless tape as the outgoing message tape, at least three buttons are required, i.e., record, play and stop buttons. In general, the incoming message tape does not comprise an endless tape but an open reel type cassette tape. In this case, four or five operation buttons such as REC/PLAY, STOP, REW and FF buttons are required. In addition, at least one or two rotary switches or pushbuttons are required as switches for setting the tapes in automatic operation positions, i.e., for setting the tapes in the automatic answering/recording mode, record and confirm mode of outgoing message tape and play back mode of incoming message tape.
Purchase of such a conventional recording device results in inconvenience, thus preventing widespread home use. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 648,743, now abandoned, (corresponding to British Patent Application No. 8432358) discloses an easily operated automatic recording apparatus for an automatic telephone answering device. In this recording apparatus, an improvement is required for providing a high-speed erasure function so as to achieve higher performance. However, as functions of the conventional recording apparatus were improved, the above-mentioned problems typically occurred.